Deposition of John Blount concerning sectional dispute over the location of the North Carolina General Assembly sessions and the impeachment of William Smith

Blount, John

May 19,
1749

Volume 04, Pages 1208-1209

The Deposition of John Blount, aged about forty four years, of Chowan County Gent taken in virtue of an order of the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, dated at Whitehall the fourteenth day of July one Thousand seven hundred and forty eight, who being sworn on the Holy Evangelists, Deposeth and Saith—

That he, this Deponent, was one of the Members of Assembly called to meet at Newbern, in November, one Thousand seven hundred and thirty nine, that when he arrived there he found most of the Southern Members were there met, and but very few of the Northern, and being well satisfied for several expressions made use of by the Southern Members, and some of the Gentlemen of the Council, that if they made a House before the Northern Members came up, they would pass several Laws that would be greatly to the Disadvantage of the northern Parts of the Province, and this Deponent furthur saith, that he never made use of any such Expressions or Persuasions as is mentioned in Thomas Lovick Esqre's Deposition (taken on behalf of the Governor) but should have been glad to have made a House and gone on with Publick Business provided there had been a sufficient Number of the Northern Members

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to have prevented the Southern ones from passing such Laws as might be to the Prejudice of the Northern Parts and further this Deponent saith that it was currently reported that their not making a House was that the Southern Members should not carry on their Impeachment against Mr. Chief Justice Smith, and this Deponent declares that he had no such Intention, for Mr. Smith and he was scarce upon speakable Terms, and this Deponent furthur saith, that he had heard several Persons say that the absenting of the Members was very pleasing to the Governor, and the next succeeding Assembly, this Deponent being then a Member saith, that there was a very full House, and Motion being made relating to the Conduct of the absenting Members at their last Meeting, a large Majority were of opinion that they had acted well, and gave them the thanks of the House, and ordered that it should be entered on their Journals, and furthur this Deponent saith not.